Bonnet House Museum & Gardens

We discovered the most magical place this weekend that we had never heard of before in our six years of living in Miami. Just a 45 minute drive north to Ft Lauderdale led us to Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, a stunning Caribbean style plantation built in the 1920s and the beautiful grounds on which it resides. Bonnet house was built in the 20s and 30s by the artist Frederic Bartlett, and not a detail was spared in the design and decoration of this house. An hour tour of the house costs $20 including grounds admission, and it was such a treat to hear all the history about this house. The artist studio, which is still chalk full of Bartlett's artwork takes you right back to the 1930s. There's even a mystical seashell museum room and bamboo tiki bar. Once you finish the home tour, it's time to explore the vast grounds and gardens, including an orchid room, a pond with swans and turtles, and a desert garden. There are even three resident squirrel monkeys living freely on the grounds! We were lucky to spot one rustling in the palm tree just as we were leaving, much to my toddler's excitement! The Bonnet House was a wonderful way to escape for the day and get truly inspired. I will absolutely be returning soon!